Tire Review: Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC Radial

For decades motorsport competitions have bled new technology into the factory and aftermarket sectors, and tires are no exception. A great example of this can be seen with the Baja Claw TTC Radial from Mickey Thompson. The Baja Claw has been in the MT stable for years, but the TTC version of the tire is fairly new. So what’s so special about the TTC Claw? And what is TTC anyhow?

TTC is short for Top Truck Challenge, which is a yearly off-road–only 4x4 competition put on by our sister magazine Four Wheeler. As the primary tire sponsor of the event, Mickey Thompson decided to launch a unique 54-inch bias-ply version of the Claw and badge it with “TTC.” Yes, you read that correctly: 54 inches tall by 191⁄2 inches wide, to be exact. The TTC Bias was a huge success, but left the average trail wheeler wanting in on the action. That’s where the new Claw TTC Radial comes in.

The TTC Radial takes its design cues from its monstrous older brother and puts them in a more manageable mold. Available in sizes from 31 to 35 inches, the TTC Radial is designed for the wheeler who’s looking for a tire that’s a touch more aggressive than a traditional mud-terrain but who still needs the refinement and durability of a modern radial M/T.

We got our hands on a set of the 35x12.50R15 Claw TTC Radials a while back and have been steadily putting them through their paces stuffed under an ’05 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. We’ve been able to daily drive, mud dive, trail crawl, and generally examine most of the knobby radials features.

So did competition translate to success with the Claw TTC Radial? We think so. As a trail tire it’s about as versatile as they come. The knobby directional cleats can be a little shifty at time on the street, but off-road the far-reaching side lugs and deep tread simply work great. We’ve tested these tires exclusively in the Southeast, so much of our terrain has been muddy, rocky, and sometimes swampy . Ultimately we found the tires to be pretty aggressive for their size, and we like that we can get the soft-lugged tires in a lightweight Load Range C mold. So if you’re looking to make your 4x4 a bit more competitive off road, then we say the TTC Claw is definitely worth a closer look.